House of Joy
by matanee
Summary: "There was always a possibility to make a mistake. And deep inside his soul, out of reach, subconsciously, John hoped for Sherlock being wrong." In which Sherlock is seemingly investigating but John is stuck dealing with the shock they are in a gay bar, and the detective tries to prove a point. Can be continued if requested.


"Sherlock," John started on his sinister voice and stared at the giant, flashing, colourful letters in front of him. It was a huge, pink, furry door and above it "House of Joy" was written. "This is -"

"Yes, John," Sherlock interrupted so the words have frozen in the smaller man's throat. He was in such a shock he wasn't even able to blink. He just kept his eyes on the sign constantly and tried to believe he can wake up anytime now. But he didn't, and a massive wall of panic started to build inside of him.

"It's a gay bar, Sherlock," he blurted out and tore his glance from the sign and shot a murderous look towards his friend.

"Your observation skill is remarkable. Yes, it is a gay bar, John."

Sherlock almost sounded casual; not _yes-you-are-our-housekeeper-Mrs-Hudson _like casual but more like _let's-talk-about-the-weather-John _casual, and John snorted in disbelief.

"You want me... to go inside. There. With you. Inside of a gay bar," he counted and stared at Sherlock with wide eyes.

"This is where the victim was seen for the last time. We have to ask around."

"_We?_" John asked hysterically and laughed shortly before he turned on his heels. "I'm not going in there."

He felt ridiculous. This whole case was ridiculous. Sherlock and Lestrade were exchanging looks all the time while the consultant detective and the army doctor were kneeling right next to a corpse. It was weird, although John didn't ask any questions. After all he wasn't there to question anyone, especially not the two key characters at a crime scene. The cause of death was simple strangling and he pointed it out as he was supposed to from the very first case, but they really seemed like they didn't even care.

He didn't understand the connection or the little inside joke between Sherlock and Lestrade, but to be honest, he really didn't care. Sherlock just sabotaged one of John's dates with Sarah, again, and he started getting angry now.

It was ridiculous.

"I can't go alone," John heard Sherlock's voice as he was a few steps farther from his friend, and he turned around with an incredulous grin on his face.

"Oh yes? Why is that?"

"What do you think?" he asked seriously and turned to John with his whole body. "They would... jump on me like hungry hyenas. If they see I'm taken -"

"Oh ho ho, wait a minute. I won't act like we're together," John shook his head quickly and didn't understand the sudden pacing of his heart but it wasn't the best timing at all. "And why would you care if they would like you? You love attention, you can play one of your roles again and in addition, you are absolutely asexual. I'm not worried about you."

John could've sworn he saw a bit of hurt and pain in Sherlock's eyes for a millisecond, but as fast as it came it was gone right away. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and stared back at the smaller man with many questions written all over his face.

"What?" John snapped nervously but couldn't stand the other one's look for much longer. He soon started to stare at the concrete and a strange feeling of guilt started to replace panic in his chest.

"If you finished insulting me you could join me. We will be back at home sooner if we just go inside now."

John didn't want to go and he knew that Sherlock knew it as well. But when you work with Sherlock Holmes incidents like this were inevitable.

* * *

"So, you're together for how long now?" a guy with a massive Playboy sign on his necklace asked and John couldn't tear his glance from the accessory. He once saw a magazine in Harry's flat that was selling these kind of things but he thought it would be too bad to be true. Well... Shit just got real, apparently.

"For 6 months now," Sherlock answered easily and smiled back at the guy innocently. One look was enough and John was well aware of the fact that Sherlock could write the other man's whole biography on that very spot. "It feels like a lifetime."

"Oh you are so adorable," the guy laughed and placed his hand on Sherlock's forearm quite... intimately. John felt a knot evolving in his stomach as he stared at them and almost began to tell himself why would it be inappropriate to stop himself from freaking out but then he thought about it. They were in a gay bar, Sherlock wore a purple shirt with only the down 5 buttons fastened, and they've been a couple. If he had added to the role a little bit it wouldn't hurt too much, would it? Maybe Sherlock wouldn't spot it out.

"Yes, he is precious," he smiled as he reached for Sherlock's wrist and pulled his arm out of the contact. He didn't want to look at the detective, so he kept his fingers on the younger man's hand for a little longer then let it go and moved a bit closer to him. _Oh yes, possessive. Perfect, John Watson. _"By the way, do you know a girl named Betty Wilson?"

"So you're hiding with someone else again, you!"

The guy appeared from thin air like he was growing out of the floor and quickly gave a kiss to his giggling lover. John blushed but he tried to deny it. He just hoped Sherlock didn't notice.

"Guys, he is Gary. We've been together for 2 years now and he is the most gorgeous person I've ever met," the former guy started and his whole face just lit up as Gary wrapped his arms around his shoulders. John still didn't have the guts to look at Sherlock but it was harder and harder to resist. "He is the best kisser in the world, I tell you. How about yours?" he asked, turning to John whose face must've been like a ripe tomato. He started laughing awkwardly when he felt Sherlock's hand on his shoulder and as he turned his look to the detective he could barely hear his own thoughts from his heartbeat. He couldn't read the other man's face, but he was so close John was sure he could faint any minute now.

"Well," he cleared his throat and his look wandered to Sherlock's lips and quickly back to his eyes. "He is... Hell of a kisser. Most definitely. Yes, he is... Perfect. Absolutely. Flawless," he stuttered and kept his eyes on a less significant point on Sherlock's face unconcernedly. On a mental level he was begging for Sherlock saying something and move on with the conversation but the swooned voices from Gary and his partner didn't foreshadow any good.

"Let's see it then!" Gary commanded and John couldn't help but laughed out loud in shock. It wasn't the first time he did it that night but he had an intuition that it wasn't the lasteither. "Kiss him, mate!"

He was speaking to Sherlock now who examined John's face carefully, without saying anything. John was hoping he would see how uncomfortable this whole situation is and would let it go and get the hell out of here but his friend didn't move. He just stared at him like he was waiting for something and John's lips suddenly went dry. His throat felt like Gobi Desert, and his brainwork was getting slower with every second.

"He is a little bit shy," Sherlock turned back to Gary, smiling apologetically and released John's shoulder. The doctor didn't even notice that Sherlock kept his hand on his shoulder for this long but suddenly he missed its warmness. He was sure this place would haunt him in his nightmares for the rest of his life now, but it was more bearable if he felt Sherlock right next to him.

"Oh come on, if you won't do it then I will," Gary's partner jumped to his feet suddenly and reached for John but the doctor's action was out of total reflex. His chest felt like blowing up and if he had to choose between kissing a total stranger and a gay person or Sherlock... It wasn't a question anymore.

He grabbed Sherlock's shirt and pulled him into a kiss. The loud background music slowly faded away and John desperately tried to keep his eyes opened but the sudden cosy feeling made them close shut. The tingle was running back and forth on his spine, his fingers started to grab the detective's shirt more firmly and the doctor could feel the younger man's hand on the back of his neck, pulling him even closer. John's lips parted slowly letting Sherlock's tongue inside. He didn't even know the detective was capable of kissing this good and John couldn't tell if he was more surprised or happy. This pleasant feeling ran through his veins and he lost the control over his body. His hand reached for the other one's face, his fingers got lost in Sherlock's curly locks and he deepened the kiss even more.

He wasn't gay, he was pretty sure of it but he was less sure that it was only acting what they've been doing right now. If it was acting he wouldn't feel even 10% of the things he felt at the moment when Sherlock slowly pulled away, inhaling a great amount of oxygen. John didn't really know he needed air until his body helped itself and he carefully opened his eyes just to meet Sherlock's supernovas. They were burning and glowing and it was the most beautiful thing John's ever seen. The noises around them were getting audible again, but the doctor wasn't able to move even after Sherlock leant back to his chair and turned to Gary with a bright smile.

"That's it, baby. It was gorgeous," he shouted happily and started laughing. "That was a real kiss!"

John barely heard anything as he stared at his flatmate and he didn't even know what was happening when his mobile started buzzing in his pocket. He felt like waking up from a dream and without saying anything he got to his feet and hurried out of the bar. The fresh air against his face felt wonderful and after a few more seconds he answered his phone.

"Hello?"

"John, it's me, Harry," he heard his sister's voice from the other end of the line and closed his eyes slowly, taking a deep breath again and again.

"It's not the best timing, Harry," he said on a pretty unstable voice and started pacing in front of the bar. He had to pull himself together, as soon as possible.

"I just wanted to congratulate you for solving that case with that Betty. I'm pretty sure that Sherlock is not normal but he must be a genius."

"What are you talking about?" John asked bemused and put a hand on his waist. "We haven't solved that case yet."

"Well it's in the paper so I assume it's solved," Harry said with a short laugh. John made a mental note that his sister was finally sober for the first time in 3 months but he didn't care about it just yet. This whole thing was making him absolutely confused. "That Lestrade guy just announced the murderer was a gay man and he followed this Betty home from a gay bar, which he owned by the way. Then, he strangled and raped her. A gay man rapes a woman. I mean, seriously?"

John stood there stone-still and he knew his jaw dropped but he couldn't help it. Anger replaced confusion. He didn't have to be a genius to figure out this whole situation, so in a sudden fit of anger he hang up on Harry and turned around to storm back inside and give Sherlock a real, great punch. He didn't expect the detective would stand right behind him so he successfully ran right into him, like he was walking into a brick wall.

"Is everything alright?" Sherlock asked easily and pulled his coat closer around him. He was wearing his normal outfit now, but John didn't have the patience to start deducing everything on him. Instead, he shot his scariest look at the younger man, but it seemingly didn't frighten the detective too much. "What?"

"Since how long did you lie to me exactly?" John asked silently, trying to restrain himself from yelling and getting all hysterical.

"About what?" Sherlock furrowed his brows and John had to close his eyes for a second to hold back his anger. _Just a little bit more, John. Just. A little bit. More._

"About this case. You've solved it!" He yelled the last sentence and he was squeezing his phone so hard he was afraid it would break. But at least, this way he didn't punch him right away. "You've made me act like your bloody gay lover and you've made me kiss you in front of everyone and... Did you have any purpose or you just wanted to embarass me?"

Sherlock stayed silent for a while, staring at John seriously. He looked like a statue but his expression didn't charm away John's hard feelings.

"I wanted to prove a point," Sherlock answered finally, but it was soon followed by John's incredulous laugh.

"Again? This time, what point?" he asked impatiently but the longer he looked into Sherlock's eyes the more he started to feel that cosy feeling again. And it wasn't the best time to get all emotional and everything so he spotted out a point on Sherlock's chest and stared at that instead.

"That you're not gay," the detective said and John's sneer slowly froze on his face. He really didn't understand anything now and Sherlock didn't make it easy for him at all. He never does so it didn't suprise John pretty much.

"I'm not?" he asked slowly and Sherlock's small smile made his stomach jump into his throat.

"No, you're not."

The detective sank his hands into the pockets of his coat and slowly tore his glance from John, examining the concrete. John didn't know what to say. He didn't feel anger anymore, but he didn't feel the relief that would've been expected either. He thought he would be glad if Sherlock would tell him he wasn't gay, because Sherlock is never wrong. _Never. _And yet, John was standing there like a great bunch of disaster and tried to force real words out of his mouth.

"Wh-What about you?" he asked gently but his heart jerked when the younger man looked up at him with the softest look on his face.

"You've already said. I'm 'absolutely asexual', so I have nothing to worry about," he shrugged but there was something in the corner of his mouth that couldn't escape John's attention. It seemed a little bit sad and it was almost ridiculous but still, he couldn't dismiss it.

"Come on, let's go home," Sherlock said and waited until John reached him then started walking towards the main street.

There was always a possibility to make a mistake. And deep inside his soul, out of reach, subconsciously, John hoped for Sherlock being wrong.

* * *

**So, basically, that's it. If you want I can add another chapter, just to make a real happy ending, but... Well, you tell me. : ) I hope you liked it, and reviews are always loved!**


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